The present invention relates to a device and corresponding method using thereof, for occupying a human subject with physical and mental activities. The physical and mental activities occupied by the human subject encompass a wide range of applications in a variety of different fields, particularly, the fields of play, entertainment, education, fitness or exercise, therapy, or/and development. The present invention features unique integration, inter-connections, and interactions, of a human mountable and movable object, such as a ball or a toy animal, an object motion control assembly, such as a harness and straps, and a base assembly, such as a mat. A human subject mounted upon the object is able to controllably and safely move on the statically held object, or, alternatively, move on and with the dynamically moving object, within a field of space determined by characteristics, configuration, and dimensions, of the object, the object motion control assembly, and the base assembly, and according to the physical and mental desires and capabilities of the human subject.
The present invention is primarily directed to a ball or toy animal type of object based device and corresponding method of using thereof. However, the present invention can be generally implemented by including any of a wide variety of different types of a human mountable and movable object (instead of a ball or toy animal type of object), encompassing a wide range of applications in a variety of different fields, particularly, the fields of (mental or/and physical) play, entertainment, education, fitness or exercise, therapy, or/and development.
Invention, uses, and advantages thereof, of the ball were revealed thousands of years ago, and with progression of time, there was a corresponding progression of new uses of the ball for a variety of different purposes in a variety of different fields. For example, about fifty years ago, a couple of young physical therapists introduced therapeutic use of the ball to the field of physical therapy. As with circumstances and events surrounding many revolutionary or non-conventional scientific/medical breakthroughs, following introduction of therapeutic use of the ball to the world of physical therapy and treatment there were complications in the beginning, and it took time for use of the ball to take hold and eventually enter academia and physical therapy related professional occupations.
In the 1980's, there was a significantly meaningful advancement regarding therapeutic use of the ball, during which time there was introduced the ‘Physioball’, which eventually became well known and used in the physical therapy areas of treatment, development, and rehabilitation. The Physioball is typically commercially available in the form of a stand-alone inflatable rubber ball having a diameter between about one and three feet and being sufficiently strong to bear the weight of a human subject. A physical therapist designs various different exercises based on use of the Physioball, for example, involving a patient to manipulate the ball and/or to mount their body upon the ball and move in different directions while mounted on the ball.
In addition to therapeutic use of the Physioball in the field of physical therapy, the Physioball can also be used by persons not particularly needing physical therapy. For example, the Physioball can be used for exercising the body in order to achieve or/and maintain physical fitness. Additionally, the Physioball can be used by persons, especially children, although in a relatively limited manner, for play or entertainment, for example, by playing ball based games.
Although the Physioball is currently widely used in the field of physical therapy, and is also applicable to other fields, such as physical fitness, play, and entertainment, there continues to be a need for identifying, developing, and implementing, new devices, and corresponding method using such devices, which can be applied in these and other fields which focus on occupying a human subject with physical and mental activities.
There is thus a need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have a device and corresponding method using thereof, for occupying a human subject with physical and mental activities. There is a need for such an invention wherein the physical and mental activities occupied by the human subject encompass a wide range of applications in a variety of different fields, particularly, the fields of (mental or/and physical) play, entertainment, education, fitness or exercise, therapy, or/and development. Moreover, there is a need for such an invention which is applicable to persons in different age groups, for example, infants, children, young adults, middle aged adults, and the elderly. Additionally, there is a need for such an invention which is safe and simple to use, is not readily breakable, and which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.